


Re-crossing Paths

by snooperj, TheDarkShadow



Series: Our Last Stand [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Gen, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-27 03:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/657376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snooperj/pseuds/snooperj, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkShadow/pseuds/TheDarkShadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce Banner, also known as the Incredible Hulk, has traveled the country treating as many patients as he could with his expertise. During his travels from place to place, the good doctor wistfully recounts his feelings towards a certain super soldier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Contemplation

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted to ff.net under the author name Coffee-dono
> 
> This takes place after the events depicted in the 2012 "Avengers" movie.

It was a long day. For the past two weeks, Doctor Bruce Banner was accommodating and facilitating some medical help in the town of Nashville, aiding some sick tenants at a rundown apartment in the bad side of town. Not that he minded; it was something he was glad to be doing, giving back. He wondered whether leaving it all behind was the best idea, but he needed some time to himself.

He'd never admit it to anyone, but Bruce was a little homesick; not so much as going back to a four-walled structure called a house, but seeing someone he had learned to enjoy the company of. Ever since they parted ways after the Loki incident, Bruce regretted not asking Captain America where he was planning on going.

Granted, the doctor had many chances of asking. But seeing Steve Rogers bring a Harley motorcycle to the meet-up at Central Park to witness Thor and Loki's departure crushed his hopes of going wherever the super soldier had plans of going. Bruce, after all, wasn't comfortable riding on the back of a motorcycle. A motorized scooter, sure, but a motorcycle was out of the question; especially if he wasn't the one steering it. And just like that, the doctor's chances went up in smoke.

Bruce sighed as he walked up to the bus stop, to the back of the line of other commuters waiting for the transportation. He shook his head to will away the thoughts that were attempting to flood his mind again.  _'As if I'd be able to see him,'_  he thought dejectedly, sighing heavily and adjust the sling of his bag.

The air-conditioned bus finally arrived, and the good doctor boarded it and quickly found a window seat on the left-hand side. It was going to be a one-hour journey to his next destination, and he wanted to see the sights as he passed when it became difficult to read the worn out book he had been bringing along on his travels.

Night had already fallen when the bus had gone on his way. Bruce struggled finding some peace while trying to read his book under limited light. It was his way to battling the motion sickness he had on bumpy rides like this, and his empty stomach wasn't really helping. When he was getting a bit too dizzy to pursue reading, he marked his book just when he heard a clap of thunder and saw the splatter of rain hammering against the windows.

"Looks like Thor's busy," Bruce noted, glancing outside and moving his gaze skywards, spotting the bright moon despite the heavy rain fall and thunder resonating, decorating the lightning strikes that descended. While he glanced outside, the doctor made a daunting realization along with the drastic weather change – he didn't carry an umbrella with him.

"This is not my day," he groaned before sighing again. He tried to shift his attention to something else, and all thought clung onto Steve Rogers. He wondered where Captain America was, and where he had gone off to. What was he doing? Where had he settled down? Would they meet again? These were the types of questions Bruce had asked himself frequently when his mind had come to think about the First Avenger. Oftentimes he was hopeful whenever he saw someone from behind that resembled Steve, only to be disappointed when the anonymous would turn around and not be the good captain. The doctor was inwardly irked during those times; wistfully hoping that Steve would be at his next destination to meet him. But he already knew how much it was a lost cause to continue going about like that; for Bruce, it was slowly becoming bad for his health.

It took every ounce of control to stop the Hulk from coming out during his moments of distress and overall want to vent out about not seeing Steve. Bruce considered his thoughts of the soldier to be the tranquilizer that kept the green machine from making an appearance. He was inwardly thankful for that.

' _At least he still makes a difference in my life even if we don't see each other…'_  he thought to himself as he heard the conductor calling out the stops every once in a while, realizing his was the next one. Getting up from his seat and wheedling past his seatmates to get out into the aisle, he grabbed onto the overhead railing to keep his balance while moving up to the front, getting ready to disembark.

The rain was still pounding heavily on the bus and the other vehicles alongside it, with no signs of letting up. Bruce had concluded that it was inevitable for him to get soaked, along with whatever he was carrying in his bag.

' _Hopefully the water-proof feature they were telling me pays off,'_  he thought to himself as the bus came to a stop, the doors slid open and he disembarked into the night, a foot splashing into the slightly flooded streets as Bruce ran towards the nearest building to seek shelter from the impending rain. Reaching a nearby bus stop to catch his breath, he shivered and wrapped his arms around himself to fight off the cold night air that blew the drops of rain toward him as a single line of thought passed Bruce Banner's mind:

' ** _When am I going to see you, Steve?'_**


	2. Intersections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve, upon orders from S.H.I.E.L.D., takes a few days off to travel and see what has become of the world. Something he had been evading to do ever since he had been 'woken' from his icy slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happens in parallel with Chapter 1

Steve had left on a Harley the day that Thor went back to Asgard with Loki and the Tesseract in tow. The rest of the Avengers split up after that, each of them going their own way. He wanted to know where they were going, find a way to keep in touch in case something happened. In the end he decided against it and thought that it was best for them to just forget one another for a little while.

He doubted that he could easily forget however, when he spotted Dr. Bruce Banner ride with Tony Stark in that thing that they called a sports car.  _'Doesn't even look relatively sporty…'_ he thought as he watched the car speed away with its two passengers. It irked him and he didn't know why, causing him to be even more irked. Then again they were both geniuses so he supposed it was best that the two went together to wherever…Regardless of all these facts, he too chose to go his own way - back to S.H.I.E.L.D's home base.

Much to his surprise, he was practically ordered to take a break. Director Fury practically shoved a bag over to him that was filled with some clothes and modern day cash and showed him out without as much as an explanation.

So now Steve found himself in modern day Nashville. He found a cheap hotel to stay in, opting that it was best to get that instead of one of those huge building hotels that he didn't even understand. He wanted to keep it simple. Best not to confuse yourself over things while you were trying to get some sleep, right?

Shrugging things off, he thought about what to do with the rest of the day when a clap of thunder was overheard. "Thor…" he said in amusement as he looked skywards and grinned. He didn't even know if it really was the doing of the god of Thunder or just nature happily having her many PMS episodes. Shaking his head at the thought, he rose from the seat that he had taken at the park and started to walk back to the hotel he was staying in. No use in getting drenched, after all.

With his hands in his pockets he exited the coffee shop and followed the route back to his current home. "Maybe after the rain stops I should go see some…what did Stark call it? ….nightlife?" he thought to himself before feeling the first few drops of rain.

Sighing at realizing he wasn't going to make it, he paused and stopped under a building to get shelter. He busied himself in watching the people running around, inwardly wondering if he would accidentally see another Avenger.  _'Who am I kidding? What would they be doing here?'_ he told himself before sighing and turning his head to the side to continue to observe. Then he paused, blinked, paused and blinked again.

"Dr. Banner?"


	3. Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under the heavy rain, as if spun by fate, Bruce and Steve meet in the most bizarre circumstances either of them could ever imagine.

**"Dr. Banner?"**

Bruce wasn't expecting this. He was drenched like a dog and he could feel the weight of his soaked clothes sticking to his body. What a depressing sight he must have been.

Managing to force a smile, the scientist wheeled around, pressing his bag close to him. "Nice to see you again, Captain," he greeted.

Steve looked him over from head to toe. As much as he hoped to find one of them - Bruce especially - where he randomly headed off to, he never once expected it to happen. Clearing his throat nervously, he frowned. "You're drenched," he stated needlessly.

Bruce joshingly chuckled; he couldn't help it. "I didn't know you were 'Captain Obvious' now too," the scientist remarked bluntly, unforgiving.

Steve, not getting the snarky remark, blinked innocently. "Who's Captain Obvious?" he asked.

Bruce shook his head. "Never mind," he said, waving a hand nonchalantly.

Steve frowned before realizing the circumstances. How could he be so careless? As if Bruce's constant shivering wasn't obvious enough. He wanted to kick himself for not realizing it sooner. "Do you have a place to stay?" he asked worriedly.

Bruce shook his head in response. He inwardly agreed that Steve Rogers was a man who genuinely cared. He admitted that it was a welcome gesture for a man who turned into a big, green monster when stressed.

"I rented out a place not too far from here," Steve said, gesturing to the building that was indeed not too far from the bus stop they were at. "Do you want to shack up with me?" he offered.

Bruce just had to chuckle. There was an innuendo somewhere in those words that he found so amusing. Not that he would share this with Steve, though. "Sure," he said with a smile and a light nod.

Captain America wondered why his chest suddenly felt constricted. It happened just as Bruce flashed him a cute, handsome smile, so that must have been the cause, right? Needless to say, he would remember to blame Bruce's smile for the constriction when the need arrived.

In the meantime, he very much settled on figuring things out when they were out of the rain. Steve didn't waste another minute and led Bruce towards a warm, dry place to stay for the meantime. He was going to make sure to make every second count.


	4. Bumps on the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve receives an unexpected call that ends up as potential blackmail material for another Avenger.

Steve waited patiently as Bruce went off to get himself cleaned and presentable. In the meantime he had opted to stay on the bed and flip through the channels, eventually settling on a show entitled "American Dad."

In the middle of figuring out why this was happening and what that joke was about, his phone rang, causing him to fish it out of his pocket. It was an unknown number but the picture of Tony Stark popped up on the screen. Then he realized that this MUST be Tony Stark and the man had somehow programmed this to his phone.

Smiling, he shook his head and poked the green button on the screen.

" _Yo Cap!"_ came the crude greeting.  _"Jarvis was doing a routine check on you guys and saw that the good Doctor wasn't picking up his phone. He seems to be in your vicinity. Have you seen him?"_

"Um…actually the two of us shacked up."

An awkward and shocked pause.  _"Excuse me?"_

Steve blinked. Did he say that wrong? "Shacked up. That's what you called it, right?"

Another pause and then he heard Stark laughing _. "Do you even know what that means?"_  he asked in between laughter.

"It means that we're staying in one place, right?"

" _Oh god, you are so innocent,"_  Tony chided causing Steve to frown even more.  _"Well anyway I'm glad that you two are fine. That'd get Jarvis off my case."_

"Off your case? But isn't Jarvis a…hello? ….hello? ….Stark?" Steve frowned as he pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen that no longer displayed the call. "I…don't get it..." he muttered before shrugging and placing the phone on the bedside table.


	5. Taking Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce contemplates on his current situation while a jet of warm water splashes down across his back in the cool confines of Steve's shower area.

The moment Steve had given Bruce a quick tour of the place, the doctor immediately asked to use the facilities and get under shower to wash off any dirt and grime that managed to cling onto him due to the result of the onslaught of rain and muddy terrain.

Once Bruce had stepped inside the bathroom, he quickly twisted the lock and promptly stepped out of his soiled clothes, stumbling towards the shower and immediately switched on the impending stream of water to maximum. He needed to shake off more than just the dirt that caught onto his arms. Stepping inside, he positioned himself under the shower as his face was the first to experience the blast of water before the droplets of water cascaded down his body.

Bruce was content. He was happy. He had found Steve... or rather, Steve had found him. Fate was often so unpredictable this way. The good doctor often wondered if he deserved all this good fortune. Not that there was much fortune going his way anyway. This particular instance was, to put it simply, a needle in a haystack. He wasn't going to expect something this good to happen to him again. And so he just decided to make the most of it.

Of course, Bruce knew better than to run off in the mud and get himself filthy and wet. After all, that entailed having to borrow clothes from the soldier, which in the end would be just a little bit too big for him. Admittedly, Bruce never expected the rain, or at least the heavy downpour of it. So it was almost inevitable that he got soaked to the skin. But who was to say this wasn't Bruce's intention all along? He had to chuckle in spite of himself. After all, it was a valid excuse. He needed to dry his clothes off and get warm.

Now  _that_  thought made Bruce chuckle quietly to himself as he adjusted his position and leaned forward slightly, lowering his head so the jets of water pounded down on his neck and moved down along his back.

 _'I wonder if he's... interested,'_  he thought to himself. He had heard the stories about Steve Rogers; read about them in reports but never plucked up the courage to ask him personally. Not that he had any opportunity to. All he did know was that Steve had a woman back in his time all those years ago that he never got to meet with again due to his admirable suicide attempt.  _'I guess now would be the best way to help him move on,'_  he considered, looking around and spotted the bar of soap and took it, proceeding to lather himself with it to get himself clean.


	6. Stoplights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve tries to wrap his head around what was currently happening. His previous talk with Tony wasn't any help at all either. Will seeing Bruce step out form the shower clear his mind or just make it turn even more into a mesh of nothing?

Steve was staring at his phone. In fact, he had been staring at it ever since his call with Tony ended. He didn't understand what the big issue was, really. He had a sinking feeling though that he had once again failed in comprehending what was 'modern' in that day and age.

He supposed it was all the 'shack-up' business that he told Tony about. What does that even mean in this day and age? He had asked Clint before and he merely confirmed what Tony had said. "We are under one roof..." he voiced out in confusion as he furrowed his brows. "Nothing's making sense again," he said with a frown.

He then sighed and glanced at the door that led to the bathroom. He wondered if Bruce was alright in there. He then glanced at the doctor's soaked bag and supposed that he wouldn't have anything to wear after his bath. Standing up, he walked over to his own bag and fished out a set of clothes that he could lend Bruce. They'd be big but at least the doctor would have something to wear, right?

He then walked over to the door and knocked. "Dr. Banner?" he called out. "Would you mind if I brought your clothes to the laundry downstairs? They're soaked," he informed him.

Maybe a small walk would clear his mind. Plus, he liked doing the laundry so it was a good excuse to get out for a while right?

He just hoped Bruce wouldn't need him while he was gone.


	7. Yielding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After making a decision, Bruce makes the first attempt to get his feelings across to the soldier. But even he could never predict just what Steve Rogers would do or think next.

A knock on the bathroom door. This surprised Bruce. He had just switched off the shower and was literally still dripping wet when he turned towards the door.

**"Dr. Banner?"**

It was Steve. Naturally. Who else would have been out there besides Captain America?

 _'...On second thought, let's not think about it,'_  Bruce considered. If you were an Avenger, there was a good chance some S.H.I.E.L.D. agent would drop by and visit. Or at least go on stalker mode and keep surveillance around your perimeter. At least from experience that's what they did when he went all the way to Calcutta. Bruce shook his head dismissively. Now wasn't the time to think about things like that.

**"Would you mind if I brought your clothes to the laundry downstairs? They're soaked."**

His clothes. He had almost forgotten. They were gathered in a small pile just outside the bathroom. Better they were chucked in a washing machine and dryer. Stepping out of the shower, he reached out and grabbed the towel Steve had gave him earlier and loosely wrapped it around his waist before moving up to the door and pulled it open.

Bruce was practically naked. He was dripping wet. That was exactly what he wanted to showcase. If Captain America got a nosebleed, then it would have been a success. So he inwardly had his fingers crossed. "Uh, yeah. Could I get something to wear in the meantime though?" he asked, looking up at Steve and offered him a smile, running a hand through his curly hair, splattering some drops of water around in the process.

"Unless you prefer me in a towel, that's fine with me," Bruce added for good measure. "I'm used to waking up after the other guy goes on a rampage having to scrap together something decent to wear. I know how to work one just fine," he finished with a cynical smile.

He leaned on the doorframe and looked at Steve in amusement. The reaction, he knew, would be gold.

After making a decision, Bruce makes the first attempt to get his feelings across to the soldier. But even he could never predict just what Steve Rogers would do or think next.


	8. Admitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve realizes the gravity of the effects a certain Bruce Banner has on him. He finally admits that there may be a little more than just friendship bubbling under his friendly affection.

The door opened and Steve was not prepared to what he saw next. His face flushed, turning red like a school-girl would on prom night in the 50's. It was a miracle that his jaw didn't drop as he proceeded to stare stupidly at his fellow Avenger.

**"Uh, yeah. Could I get something to wear in the meantime though?"**

Steve tried with all of his might to turn his gaze away from the doctor but he just couldn't. His eyes wandered and then settled on the doctor's hair. It was wet and smelled like the mint shampoo he had put there the day before. Droplets went down as Bruce ran his hand through those curls and Steve couldn't help but follow the path they down went to...then he wish he didn't.

His eyes now settled on the doctor's chest and his mouth went dry. He should have expected it the moment he had seen the Hulk.

_'He is daaamn fit,'_  he thought to himself as he swallowed nervously.

Then he realized what he was doing and mentally slapped himself. The man was asking him a favor and what was he doing? Staring like a newly married wife on her honeymoon. Besides, were these kinds of thoughts even legal in this day and age? He had better check with Stark on that one...wait scratch that. Maybe not.

**"Unless you prefer me in a towel, that's fine with me. I'm used to waking up after the other guy goes on a rampage having to scrap together something decent to wear. I know how to work one just fine."**

And in a snap, the all-American soldier was back in fantasy land. His eyes, that were still on the doctor's chest, traveled down to the towel that was adorning Bruce's waist. He wondered if the doctor was as fit as his upper body down th-

_'Red light! Red light!'_  Steve yelled to himself as he snapped his focus back and forced himself to look up.

"Erm...I..." he started before realizing that he was holding something. Raising his hand he realized that it was the clothes that he had intended to lend Bruce. He then realized how stupid and strange he must have looked.

"Here," he said as he handed the set to the older. "You can use those to get naked-" his face turned red at that mistake. "I mean dressed! You can use those to get dressed!" he exclaimed, nearly shouting. Hurriedly he stepped to the side to pick up the wet clothes there and stiffly walked to the one-seater lounge chair to pick up his own dirty clothes.

"I'll just get these cleaned," he told Bruce. "You can join me for a date if you want."

He paused again, face turning redder. "I mean you can join me for a bit!...I-if you want... I'mgoingdownnowseeyou." he said hurriedly before turning around.

_'Steve Rogers what the hell was that?'_  he asked himself as he stiffly walked away.


	9. Finish Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve's reaction was all the indicator Bruce needed. Watching as Steve left to do the laundry, Bruce couldn't help but follow after him. He couldn't just leave the super soldier hanging without telling him how he felt in turn.

Bruce watched as the front door closed after Steve. The good doctor's hair was still dripping wet with the change of clothes in his hands. He was done and over with teasing Steve about it. Time to get dressed. Bruce turned on his heel and moved back inside the bathroom, closing the door behind him to perpetually get himself into Steve's clothes. He wondered how well they would fit.

Funnily enough, Steve's clothes were just that size bigger. The fabric was soft. Just how Bruce liked it. A smile was plastered on his lips as he neatly folded up is used towel upon completely drying off his hair and placed it on the bathroom counter. After collecting his emotions, he went ahead and found some furry slippers and walked to the door. Time to head down and pay the good captain a visit in the laundry room.

_'By the looks of things, we're probably on the same train of thought. That's a relief,'_  Bruce thought eagerly to himself. At least he wasn't the only one who looked and felt silly about the two of them. As if the whole 'shacking up' term Steve used earlier didn't about sum it up.

Bruce looked around every so often during his little walk, navigating his way to the laundry room - wherever it was. Steve was great enough _not_  to tell him where exactly it was, so he relied on his knowledge of most building concepts and decided to guess that it was in the ground floor where it was most accessible for the tenants. Hearing the soft whir of the washing machines in use signified that he was close. Really close. After taking a look around, he saw a door slightly ajar and assumed it was the place in question.

"Only one way to find out," the gamma specialist muttered before advancing. Pushing the door open a bit more, he peeked inside and saw the familiar equipment, including Steve who was staring at the machines, clueless on what to do after chucking the clothes inside.

Steve looked like a lost child as he crouched down in front of the machine, looking at the opening wondering if there was a sensor or something like those at Stark Tower. Seeing none he got up and looked at the dials dumbly. "What now..." he muttered.

"You need to slot in some quarters here," Bruce said helpfully, walking up beside the captain and produced some change, placing them accordingly in the slots for Steve.

Steve blinked and looked at the machine for a while and stepped towards it again before turning a dial experimentally and jumped backwards in surprise when it turned on. He then blushed when he realized that he had bumped into Bruce. He then started rapidly wondering when the doctor got behind him.

The distance between them was surprisingly close. Bruce had intended it. And he had very much anticipated the reaction from Steve once the washing machine had sprung to life. It was an old model, after all. Bruce flashed Steve a smile and helped him stabilize himself on his feet. "Your clothes are a little big, but at least they keep me warm," the doctor explained with a chuckle.

"W-well, I'm just glad they fit, Doctor.." Steve said with a little nervous smile.

"By the way, I have... something I wanted to confess to you..." Bruce continued sheepishly, averting his gaze for a while.

"Confess?" the soldier asked, confused and at the same time nervous.

Bruce played with the fabric of Steve's shirt for a while, noticing a stray thread that he pulled at. "Well, it's nothing special, but I've been meaning to tell you about my uh... feelings. For you." He smiled and chuckled to himself before facing Steve, locking gazes at those innocent blue eyes. "I like you a lot," he said blatantly. "But if it's going to get you confused, what with us being two guys, I'd understand," he added quickly, smiling serenely, his eyes showing evident hurt if that was going to be the case.

"T-that's not it!" Steve said immediately, sensing the pending hurt that the other was anticipating. "I-I like you a lot too and and..." he paused before looking away sheepishly as he scratched his cheek with his finger. "It's not...all that uncommon now, is it?" he asked carefully. He HAD seen couples that he, at first, had considered strange before realizing it was the norm. Men making out with men and women making out with women. It took a loooong time getting used to and he even chickened out in confirming it with Stark but he knew that it wasn't something generally looked down on.

A wave of relief passed through Bruce's features. This was a good sign. Even more so that Steve seemed okay with the idea. He'd have to remember to reward the good Captain for being so accommodating -  _'And not to mention reciprocating the feelings,'_  Bruce added in his head with a fond chuckle. Reaching out in experimentation, he gripped Steve's hand and squeezed it. "Those will sound off once they're done, which will probably be in about... half an hour. What do you want to do in the meantime?" he suggested.

"Erm... I don't really know. How about you?" came the sheepish reply.

Bruce looked up at Steve thoughtfully. Their distance was teasing the super soldier, and that was probably what he wanted to emphasize. He even pulled Steve close so that their lips grazed before he pulled away, as if struck by another idea. More temptation on the table. "I can teach you how to play some cards," he said instead, smiling.

"C-Cards?" Steve asked, face a fiery red because of the fleeting moment that they were less than an inch apart. Carefully reigning himself in he nodded. "S-Sounds good," he said with a nod of his head.

"I think I found a deck in your apartment. I'm sure we'll hear the machine from there if we keep the door slightly ajar," Bruce explained plainly. "Should we get going?" he offered, reaching out and offering his hand.

Steve merely nodded, mind still processing what happened.  _'It wouldn't hurt, right?'_  he thought before gingerly reaching out to take Bruce's hand.

It was all the affirmation Bruce needed. Confessing was enough. Now all he expected was to spend some quality time with the good captain before any karma came rolling his way over his teasing business. After all, how else would he avoid the stress? Bruce triumphantly kept a firm grip on Steve's hand as his fingers locked around it before leading him out of the laundry room and back up to the apartment where an innocent game of "Go Fish" was in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This here's the last chapter for our Bruce and Steve story, and will continue in the upcoming collaboration story, Our Last Stand. Check out the other mini-stories in our series for The Avengers.
> 
> -snooperj & TheDarkShadow


End file.
